A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toy, and more particularly to a plush doll having a liquid-filled bladder that is stretchable through a wall of the doll.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Animal shaped plush dolls are typically comprised of outer furry fabrics and an inner soft filler, such as cotton, that gives the dolls volume. It has been suggested that portions of the plush dolls' filler be replaced with liquid or air.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,896 describes a balloon that inflates a toy figure, which renders the plush toy easier to ship and launder. The future toy owner is responsible for the plush toy's complete assembly from the provided balloons and an outer plush toy figure. Inflation of the balloons underneath the outer fabric casing gives volume to the head and body parts of the figure.
This construction method bestows a convenient manner in which a toy can be easily compressed and decompressed. However, children often develop a strong emotional attachment to plush dolls because of their resemblance to actual living species. This relationship makes plush dolls unlike most other commodities in which production efficiency is priority, because the convenience of a deformable plush toy is overshadowed by children's' dissatisfaction with the unrealistic element of decompression. This emotional factor creates a continued need to improve the utility of plush toys without compromising the creatures' lifelike representation.
Accordingly, the general object of the present invention is to provide a plush toy with a squeezable liquid element that is highly sensible through a stretching interface built into the toy.
Another object is to provide a plush toy that is furry outside and watery inside at the same time to simulate the real living model in nature.
Yet another object is to provide a noninvasive plush toy with a built-in liquid bladder that entails no by-products associated with user preparation of inflatable parts.
According to the present invention, the plush toy comprises a non-stretchy outer fabric having a blank area stitched with a flexible cover. This design allows for the consumer to feel the squeezable filler inside of the doll. The filler may be a squeezable liquid element provided by an elastic water-filled bladder.